Systems for selectively diverting conveyed articles in a direction transverse to the conveying direction are well known. The typical arrangement includes a conveyor associated with a plurality of diverters (sometimes called “carriers”) for engaging the articles. As the conveyor moves in an endless path, an adjacent guide track engages a guide associated with each diverter. In the usual mode of operation, this engagement causes the diverter and the associated article to move laterally along the conveyor. Using such an arrangement advantageously allows for selective placement of the articles into multiple rows or lanes, as necessary or desired for a downstream operation, or alternatively may simply divert selected articles to a takeaway conveyor for further processing.
During high speed operation, a fixed guide associated with each diverter is used to transition from a main portion to an auxiliary portion (branch or spur) of the guide track for effecting the desired diversion. Typically, the switching is done by either mechanically moving the guide track or else using a magnet at the intersection to cause the diverter to follow the alternate path associated with the diversion of the article. At high speeds, both manners of switching are considered unreliable, and also must occur at the location of the intersection between the main and auxiliary portions in order to be effective. In the event the diverter is not properly switched, not only is the article not diverted in the desired manner, but a catastrophic failure may also result, requiring downtime to make the necessary repair. This downtime not only increases the maintenance expense, but also the expense associated with a concomitant loss in production while completing the appropriate repair operation.
Accordingly, a need is identified for a high speed diverter system that addresses and overcomes the foregoing limitations.